Cotton comber



D. BARKER COTTON COMBER Oct. 6, 1931.

Filed Aug. 24, 1929 l VENTOR @229 Y /r2 ORNEY I onnsnrrs [Patented Oct; 6, 1931 I .DYSON BAnxEnfohwnmmsvnm;innssncnusnrrs, AssIGNon To WHITIN' Mt- ,onmn wonxs; WHITINSVILLE,MASSACHUSETTS, A, CORPORATION OF MASSA- {c ma comn'nn 1 plicafionifi1edAugiist 24, 1929.1 Serial No. 888,076.

The invention is an-irnprovementfin'H-eil man-type cotton comhers and consists of improvedmeans forcausing the nippers to carry 1 the tuft'into deep;1engagenuent with the is;

volying half-lap thereby permitting heavier laps to :bejhandledwithoutdoss of combing efiic'iency. The invention: exemplified in thewaccompanying drawings byits form at verse s'ection'pazrtlyfin un rameran; 'ordipresent 1e thereto)" M a Insuchj drawings yFig. 1 is a vertical-transnary Nasmith-Heilmnnicotton .com'ber having a the invention applied; :2: allargerzscale -verticalsection thrmigh, theinipper mechanism Fig. 3 a; section ihereofon '-lineIII- Hot ain a; and Figi 4a front elevation The general organization of' the conrber shownby Fig. 1, whichiswell understood is as --follo*-vs:. The nipper ifraihe or carriage 1 swings on afixed axis 2 located below the fixed axis "of-the comb cylinder 3 and carries the i iower nipper jawior cushion panel whichis adj nstablytniounted upo'niit by means of bolts a The upper jaw "6' of the nipper mechani'smytermed the nipperknife, is carried on lever 211118.17 fulcrumed on fan axis 8galso cazrried by the'nipper The cot-ton lap to be combedis supphedfrom the creel, not shown, and t fed .byw-the lap-feed" roll 9 along y the top faoe of the/ cushion ,plate 4 and yond the edge thereof upon which it is nipped by the: closing of th e"-knife blade =6 thereagainst The rearward movementmf theswinging. nippers carriesgthe projecting end of the lap, or tuft, into the action'o'f the needies :on'sthe revolving comb cylinder where upon the'nipp'ersswing forward and present combedtuft to thedetaching' rolls 10 in overlapping relation'tofthe "tail end-of the last; previously tuft The; lower detaching $61110 rotates ona fixed axis with an i intermittent forward aindbackward motion,

andfatithesame time :rollsirotaite forwardthe npper'trayersing roll being driven; by it. Thenippers open astheyappi'oaeh theserolls ly grasping the-tuft and detaching it from the 0f tlie'lap held'by the feed roll; 19, drawing tail ends bf the fibres through preferred? but limitation a ing tuft and so on, all according to the usual action of this type of .comber. r

The nipper knife closes against thecushion plate by the-action of the nip'per springs 13" and is opened,-ragainst the tension of such springs, by the engagement of thecambowl 7o on the. rearvendsof the'nipper arms? withthe' fixed cam 12,: as thefnippe'r frame swingsforward. Theseare strong springs acting through: favorable leverage and exert a powerful compression onthelap, neoessaryto keep the fibres-- from being snatched away 'by'the revolving needles, but, being spring-produced, the nipping pressure is constant, whetherthe lap be thick or thinwandaccording to the spring tension. Under these circumstances, the closed position ,of the knife is somewhat closer to the cushion plate with a thin lapthan' with a thicker lap and is not a constant position; it mayalsovary with a given lap according as the latter varies a in thickness along its length. The bottom ornipping edge of the knife is longitudinally grooved with; a round-bottomed groove or crease,;conforming.tothe rounded head 14; at the edge of the cushion plateand with which it oo-operat-es to put a crimpflin therlap, further promoting the security with which the tuft fibres are held. The front wall 15 of thiscrimpin-ggroove on the knife blade 6 "forms a .lip which not only makes the crimp, but also directs the tuft downwards toward the needle path, and hasheretofore been solely .depend-ed' upon forthat purpose. 1 "Efiicient cylinder combingrequiresthat the tuft be brought as fullyas possible into the action of'the needles, the cushion plate being set' close to the cylinder, and that theilip -15 should come as close as possible to the path of the needle points because the closer it comes, the more fully will the tuft be held :to the half-lap action. But because of variation of lap thickness it isflnot possible to make thelip. 15 take this closest possible position, which would produce the best combing, because a; thinner lap, or the absence of PATEN F C 5 1 under the nippingedge, as on the occasion of a. break, would let the springs close it too 7 far in which case the lip would be struckby empty, that is to say whenno lap is present Zand thereforwhen it is'atits norma'lwork Q which isto say,

the needles. In consequence of this limita tion andnecessarilyfihe lip as heretofore pro vided has beeninade short enough to ,just escape the needles when the nippers are it is more r and more inefficlent for its intended purpose in proportion to the thickness of the, lap, u 7 that in the cornbersreferred" 'to; the combing eficiency falls; ofirapidly sought to be increased. 1

as theweightoflapis The invention remedies this ob ect-1on1 and I produces efficient and-substantially?equal fcomb'ng of all weights of lap by means'of a 'special tuft defiecting extensible tlip which alwaysoccup'ies the position off closestzproximity tothe needle path, dur1ng the comb? fing periodfiegardless' of the presence orfab- A sence of lap on the cus hion plate or whether i it happenstobe thick or thin,- bending-every tuft into 1 the needle path to the same and a rnaximumextenton-every nip V l his lip is forrneTdofa flattplate' -lfi, loosely mounted" l onthe front; face ot-the blade 6 ,with freedon for limited vertical: movement I "in thereon, "parallel to the planeof the :blade, andheldthereto' by two large headed screws '17,;screwed into the'gbladethrough oblong nipp'ersware'open the plate ldhangs loosely gravity on the'screws 17,-1ts.

qandby its own V thenlower than the lower i ii),

' when the'knifecloses, the notched slots" 18 in the plate,

un i s could obviously Y be substituted =When" the i on 'twostopfingers 20' which are" secured, ri'veted',l'to the-bottoinsidef'o'f the cushion plate,atits extrerneends,'projeotin'gforward 1 "lyfjusti'enoughforthis'purposeU The stop. fingers are always at: a

is rigidonthe nipper legsland always oc cup ' erencetof'the needle path' during thecylinder I combing, whenthe' plate comes-to rest on "working position which sible, orclosest desirechtothe' needlepath, e0

these' 'fingers, its lower edge is then in its is the" closest pos and ittakesthisposition on' everynip re- "gardless of the eXtent to whioh the nipping "edge'of the bladeprop'er may be "closed upon I less distant from that position the slots being long. enoughito give the plate a range ofvertical movement of, say about g g inch, whichisall; that is-required. Other forms es-eXactly-the same position with I.'ref-' tuft is pushed downs by the gravity of the loosely mounted lip and thereby defiecte'd sharply and uniformly into the needle-path so that the thicknessof thelap is substantially without. reflect on the thoroughness of the combing upfto theiilimitvwhi'ch th'e'nipv Qpersare capable of handling. i This will be n z d as rep e en ilis ee s d dilelonger relied onforfanytuft' deflecting tunction except as incidental to the {production o'fjthewcrimpgrip, but such lip now serves theiniportant function'ofrrelieving the de- 7 -fiector;-rli,'; (l6v-) l fian-y pressure or rubbing contac with the cotton such as would interfere with its reliable action; For: this; tunetion'its' lengthis obvioju'slynot important. and need be no longer-j than: will suifice {to ;.-keep the deflector lip clear ofthe-cotton .so-that it may settlefreely 'onits' stopi-means' on each closure, and. preferably solely, by; lgravity', s

having ionlyvto depress "the tuft and not t0 gripzit. The plate 1'6; thusrafiords a deflecting but 'non-nipping lipf-i'and cantherefore be 'loosely mounted and'egr'avity operated with- V out 'need'j ofllubrication fewhich? of course would befzundesirable s'o closelto thef'cotton,

While 1 the fixed?lipfscan befiredued -iriij'Width,

even more'than' indicated injthe drawings and nee'dbe no wider. and alsono-longer than: will suffice ltol keepiither deflector lip unobstructed V V for its'describediactionzi- It is ,obyiou'sth 'at a v lip suchas 1 6 can bereadily applied 130px:

isting cornbers, E VtC J JFVlHCI'B Q SG their capacity,

sine the attachment= means and. necessary changes are: easily"rna de.:- r {Ordinarily theex isting nipping or- "fixedlip is filed off to: ;reduceits thickness, and as .indicated'z'in the drawings,but this may be as pr'eferredzwithin thepri'nciple ottheinvr-entionf above described; Thefunction ofthe' stop; fingers-20 can ob.-

vio'usly {be performed byf other parts capable ofsuppor-ting the deflector. lip accuratelyaln its correct positionpbut it? has I been found that fingers on the 'cushionfplate are practical "and" most easily applied to existing rnachines.

When used; the corners jof} theeknife are notched; away to clear them ias indicated in q "Fig. 4:,"1a1'1d withYsuch'arrangenient the adfixed' dis- 'tance from the needle path becausetheyaare carried by the cushion I plate and the latter 'close'sto theposition indicated in Fig; Q-j ust before the arrival beneath it of the first POW of needles on the rotary:comb, {soathat by virtue offlthe pres'ence' and action of the movable lip, the needles penetrate 'the heelzo'f the tuft 1 at; -point {which is uniformly s close to ,the'vgrip line ofthe nipp'ers, and pass'through 'ztftefr' which} the knite; and lips rare .2 j ointly ,lift'edLaway from theftu-ftyprior to thedrawofi renia-inilifted until the tuft has beenemhd and theinext' :Eeedlhas taken ion ' place whereupon the same action is repeated.

I claim: s a 1; In a cotton comber, the combination with the comb cylinder and detaching'roll both rotating on fixed axes and swinging nippers to carry the tuft from'one to the other comprising a cushion plate and nipper knife, the latter having a nipping edge and a tuft-defleeting lip, movable relatively to each other and coincldently-moving toward and from the cushion plate, means to close said edge against the-cushion plate and means to stop the movement of said lip and hold the same at a constant distance from the needle path per knife, the latter having a nipping edge panda non-nipping tuft-deflecting lip movable relatively to said edge withoutfriction on the cotton and stop meansfor said lip to establish a constant working distance thereof from the needle path. r

, 3. In a cotton comber, the combination [with detaching rollsand comb cylinder of nipper mechanism moving from one to the other. and comprising a cushion plate, and

" nipper knife, theknife having 'a nipping edge and a deflecting lip, the one being movable relatively to the other, and an abutment carriedby the nipper mechanism adapted to establish a position for said lip during the combing period which position is in fixed re lation to the needle path and unaffected by lap thickness I 4. In a cotton comber, the combmation of the comb, cylinder and detaching roll, a nipper frame movable from one to the other and including a cushion plate adjustably carried on said frame and a nipper knife having a v nipping edge and a. deflector lip relatively movable with respect to'said edge, means for closing said edge, against the cushion plate and means on the cushion plate forming a stop for said lip and adapted to establish a constant working distance for said lip with respect to the needlepath.

5. In a cotton comber, nipper mechanism comprising a cushion plate and nipper knife i having a grooved nipping edge adapted to produce a crimp grip of the lap on the cushion plate, a deflector lip movablycarried on said knife and stop means supporting said lip independently of said knife during the cylinder-combing period. 7

it ,6. Ina cotton comber, a comb cylinder, a

cushion plate, a nipper knife coacting therewith, a spring to close the knife, a deflecting lip on said knife, and stop means determining a a fixed positionfor said lip with relation to said cylinder independently of the lap thickness and during the combing period.

7; Init cotton comber, the, combination w'tlt detaching rolls-and'comb cylinder, ofa diaper frame-movingfromone to the other aa'id comp-rising'a cushion plate and: nipper knife fu-lcrum'ed on said frame, the knife having a) nipping edge and a relatively movable nd self -adjusting deflector lip and an abutment carried bythe nipper mechanism establishing the lip position during the com-hing period. 7 c

8.: a cotton comber, nipper mechanism comprising cushion plate and at nipper knife, a) lip fixedomsaid. knife and a dea needle-half lap, a swinging." cushion plate having I fS'WOTkIHg' position at a' close and substantially constant distance from the path ofthe needle points thereof, a nipper knife, afdeflectoi lip: movably associated. therewith and means for establishing a constant positioni for' said lip with? respect to said cushion pl atc during thewhole' of the combing period. 113.. A comber for'cotton having a comb cylinder rotating on a fixed axis and bearing a needle hallf lap, a swinging nipper frame including ascushion' plate and coacting nipper knife, a defiecto plate mounted. loosely onthe forward face of said knife and means carried by? the nipper frame for establishing a-constant position forsaid lip with reference thereto duringthe whole combing period.

' 121A comber for cotton having a comb cyl-inderrotating on a axis and bearingla needle halflap, a swinging nipper frame a cushion plate and coacting nipper knife, a1 deflector lipmovably associated with said knife, means carried by the nipper'frame V forestabli-sh-in'g a constant working position tween said roll and nipper knife, a flat plate movablyc associated with the front face of said nipper knife and resting by its lower I edge on the tuft held by said knife to deflect 7 it into the needle path and means for establishinga constant Working position for said plate With'referenceto saidnipper frame.

" 7,14. In a-comher,the'combination of acomb I oylinder rotating on a fixed axis, moving 1 nipper mechanismhaving the functions of;

action by theo'omb cylin V perknife,:andbeing movable with reference to said knife, and actuating means for said I and .lip following holding the tuft for der and of transferring it after combing to the detaching mechanism and including a nipper knife and cushion plate,a tuft deflect ing lip operative'directlyin front of said nipv knife andlip operating. to raise the lip clear of the cushion plate and tuft prior tor-tuft: meansto' lowersaid knife detachment, the 'c'or'nlo cylinder needles having initial penetration into detachment, and

the heel part of the tuft close tothe cushion plate and moving throughthe tuft-toward- 15, In a comber, the combination of a r0 tary comb rotating plate andcoac ting nipper knife, a tuft-defleeting lip inovably associated with the front face of-said knife, means whereby the lifting andlloweri'ng of said knife causes 3 and lowering of said movable lip, said knife and l-ipbo'th being lifted prior to and during [tuft-detachment and'bothbei'ng lowered prior e to the cylinder-combing of; the tuft, and an abutment forsaidmovablelip engaged thereby when theknife is lowered,said, abutment determining a ecting lip mova knife, means confining the tuft-engaging uniformly close to the needle-path onsuccessive nips' and depressesthe heel part of the tuftfor initial penetration by the needles of I therotary comb. g 16. In a comber, cylinder rotating on a fixedaxis, late and coactin nipper knife,

ily associated With said a cushion edge of said lip to operation only in a plane parallel E In testimony whereof,

moi' ementthereof in the direction in which the tufts are detached and, abutment means supporting said lip in its lower, position which is uniformly close to the needle path and,

presents the heel part of thetuft for initial penetration by'theneedlesr f I, have signed this specificati c e on a fixed axis, a cushion the lifting v position of saidlip which is the combinationof a comb I,

a tuft-dewith said knife and preventing any nYsoN islinkiing T f 

